More than 45 percent of all money spent on defense by all nations last year was spent by the U.S. The graphic above measures U.S. defense spending in 2012 against the 2012 defense budget of China, our major strategic adversary.

There are limits to comparisons. China keeps some military spending off budget (as does the U.S.). China is building. The U.S. is cutting back. The U.S. has defense commitments unlike any other country, and additional strategic adversaries: Russia and Iran. China is neither at war nor maintaining foreign bases.

Yet even if Russia’s $52.7 billion is added to China’s $88.9 billion, the combined spending hardly measures up to $739.3 billion appropriated for the Pentagon.

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